Okaz/Saudi Gazette RIYADH — A man, his wife and three children died when their apartment in Al-Faisaliyyah district of Riyadh caught fire on Saturday, the Civil Defense said. The apartment was on the second floor of a three-story building. The Civil Defense said fire brigades extinguished the fire while paramedics of the Red Crescent Authority transported the five victims to the hospital in critical condition. The Civil Defense said all five of them died before reaching the hospital as they had inhaled large amount of smoke. A citizen informed the Civil Defense operations room of smoke billowing from the apartment, and rescue teams, including firefighters were immediately dispatched to the scene. According to reports, the fire started in one of the air-conditioners in the apartment. Even though people in the neighborhood who saw some coming out of the apartment tried to alert the family members inside, they did not respond. When the firefighters came and broke open the door, they found the victims in a deteriorating condition. The victims were apparently sleeping when the fire started. The Civil Defense said the wooden furniture in the apartment caused the fire spread quickly into the other rooms. It said rescue teams were able to evacuate five people from the burning apartment but it was too late because of the heavy smoke they had inhaled. The Civil Defense said the concerned authorities would complete the investigations.
